Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 1 - GitHub Pages · Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 3 Course...
8
Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 1 BIOLOGY 435 ANIMAL COMMUNICATION Fall, 2019 Welcome to Animal Communication! The world is full of sights, sounds, and smells—many of which are produced by animals. But what do these conspicuous signals mean? In this course, we will provide a general overview of the how, when, where, and why of animal signals as we search for general principles underlying the biology of animal communication. The course begins with an examination of the mechanisms by which animals produce and perceive signals and covers all of the basic modalities (sight, sound, touch, and smell). The second part of the course then examines the evolution of different types of signals and how they are used to communicate information. The approach we will take in this course will be broad, considering the evolution of animal communication by drawing from a broad range of disciplines including physics, chemistry, physiology, ecology, psychology, economics, music, language, and of course animal behavior. Investigative laboratory and field experiences are integrated into the course to provide practical hands-on experiences studying animal communication. Instructor Professor: Dr. Christopher Templeton Office: Strain 203b Phone: 503-352-3149 (x 3149 if you’re on campus) Office Hours: Monday 10-11am and Thursday 1-2pm *if these times do not work for you, schedule another time with me via email* E-mail: [email protected] Course Location Course name: Biology 435 Class times: Lecture: MWF 1pm-2:05pm Lab: Th 8:00-11:00am Lecture Location: Price 202 Lab Location: Strain 220
Transcript of Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 1 - GitHub Pages · Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 3 Course...
Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 1
BIOLOGY435ANIMALCOMMUNICATION
Fall,2019
WelcometoAnimalCommunication!Theworldisfullofsights,sounds,andsmells—manyofwhichareproducedbyanimals.Butwhatdotheseconspicuoussignalsmean?Inthiscourse,wewillprovideageneraloverviewofthehow,when,where,andwhyofanimalsignalsaswesearchforgeneralprinciplesunderlyingthebiologyofanimalcommunication.Thecoursebeginswithanexaminationofthemechanismsbywhichanimalsproduceandperceivesignalsandcoversallofthebasicmodalities(sight,sound,touch,andsmell).Thesecondpartofthecoursethenexamines theevolutionofdifferent typesof signalsandhow theyareused to communicate information.Theapproachwewilltakeinthiscoursewillbebroad,consideringtheevolutionofanimalcommunicationbydrawingfromabroadrangeofdisciplinesincludingphysics,chemistry,physiology,ecology,psychology,economics,music,language,andofcourseanimalbehavior.Investigativelaboratoryandfieldexperiencesareintegratedintothecoursetoprovidepracticalhands-onexperiencesstudyinganimalcommunication.
Instructor
Professor: Dr.ChristopherTempleton Office: Strain203b Phone: 503-352-3149(x3149ifyou’reoncampus) OfficeHours:Monday10-11amandThursday1-2pm
*ifthesetimesdonotworkforyou,scheduleanothertimewithmeviaemail*E-mail: [email protected]
Coursename:Biology435Classtimes: Lecture: MWF1pm-2:05pm
Lab: Th8:00-11:00amLectureLocation: Price202LabLocation: Strain220
Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 2
LearningOutcomes Aftercompletingthiscourse,studentswillbeableto:
• Integrateavarietyofbiologicalandinterdisciplinaryconceptstoexplainhowandwhyanimalscommunicate
• Accuratelyobserveanddescribeavarietyofsignalmodalities• Applyknowledgeofanimalsignalingtopredicthowanthropogenicchangeswillimpactanimals
andtheirpopulations• Demonstrateappropriatetechniquesforconductingresearchonanimalcommunication• Criticallyevaluateprimaryresearchpapersandresearchproposals• Identifynovelresearchquestions,design,andconductresearchprojectsusingdetailedsignal
analysis,behavioralobservations,orcontrolledexperiments• Effectivelycommunicateresearchfindingsinbothoralandwrittenformat
AnimalCommunicationalsoprovidesthefollowinglearningoutcomesfortheBiologymajor:
• Studentswilldemonstratedeepunderstandingoffivecoreconceptsinbiology:evolution;pathwaysandtransformationsofenergyandmatter;informationflow,exchange,andstorage;structureandfunction;andbiologicalsystems.
• Studentswillusethestandardskillsandmethodologiesofbiologytoanswerscientificquestions.• Studentswillapplythescientificmethod,reasoningandappropriatemathematicstodescribe,
explainandunderstandbiologicalsystems.• Studentswilluseinterdisciplinaryapproaches(applyingchemistry,physics,andmathematicsto
biology)toworkonbiologicalproblems.• Studentseffectivelywillread,write,speakandunderstandscientificmaterial.• Studentswillcollaborateandcommunicatewithinbiologyandacrossdisciplines.• Studentswillapplysciencetoissuesfacingoursociety
Inaddition,thiscoursefulfillstheNaturalSciencesCorerequirement.StudentscompletingtheNaturalSciencesCorerequirementwill:
• usescientificmethodsandreasoningwithinthecontextofthenaturalsciences• recognizethedistinctivenatureandlimitsofscientificknowledge:thatitisanevolvingmodelof
thenaturalworld,discoveredandverifiedthroughexperimentationandobservationCourseCatalogDescriptionAninvestigationintothebiologyunderlyingdifferentmodesofanimalcommunication,includingvisual,acoustic,chemical,andtactilesignalingbehavior.Thecoursewillfocusontheevolutionaryandecologicalsignificanceofanimalsignalsanddiscusshowcommunicationiscontrolledbydifferentmechanisms(endocrinology,genetics,neuroscience)andhowthesebehaviorsareimpactedbyanthropogenicinteractions.
Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 3
CourseMaterials(Optional)PrinciplesofAnimalCommunicationbyBradbury&Vehrencamp2011(2ndedition).Thisistheonlytextbookinprintthatdealswithanimalcommunication.Itcoversmanyofthetopicswewilllearnaboutinclassandisdenselypackedwithinformation.Iwillreferyoutorelevantpassagestoreinforcelecturecontentorprovidemoreindepthtreatmentoftopicsthatinterestyou.Thisbookisencyclopedicbutalsochallenging:Irecommendregularlyreadingsmallamountsinsteadoftryingtodigestentirechaptersinasinglesitting.Iwillplaceacopyofthisbookonreserveinthelibraryforshort-termcheckout.(Recommended)AShortGuidetoWritingAboutBiologybyJanPechenik.Thisisaveryusefullittlebookthatdealswithallaspectsofscientificwritingandpresentation.Ihighlyrecommendyoupurchasethisbook—itwillbeausefulreferencethroughoutthisandotherupper-levelBiologycourses,andforyourcapstonepaperandpresentation.Feelfreetobuyanotherrecenteditionifyoucansavesomemoneythatway,thoughIwillonlyprovidepagenumbersfromthemostrecenteditionforreadings.(Required)ReadingsfromthePrimaryLiterature:Classicandrecentpublicationsselectedbystudentsandtheinstructorwillbeprovidedasthemainreadingthroughoutthecourse.Inaddition,studentswilldelvedeeplyintorecentliteraturerelatedtothecourseresearchproject.GeneralCourseExpectationsAttendanceResearchhasshownthatstudentslearnbestwhentheyareactiveparticipantsintheclass.Iexpectthatstudentsenrolledinthiscourseareadultswhotakeresponsibilityfortheirowneducation.Iwillnottakeattendanceinclass,butclassattendanceandparticipationarestronglyrecommendedandcounttowardsyouroverallgrade.Lectureandlabarekeylearningopportunitiesandwewillhavegradedassignmentsperiodicallyinclasssomissingeithercouldnegativelyimpactbothyourlearningopportunitiesandyourgradeinthecourse.Ifyouknowyouwillmissclass(e.g.foranapproveduniversityevent),pleaseletmeknowaheadoftimeandIwilldomybesttohelpyou.Notethatvacations,etc.arenotconsideredapprovedevents.Ifyoumissclass,pleasefirsttalktoyourfellowstudentsandtryandgetcopiesofnotesorhandouts.Then,ifyoustillhavequestionsafterspeakingwithstudentsandstudyingtheirnotes,pleasecometalktomeforfurtherclarification.ExpectationsduringclassPleasecomepreparedandarriveontime.Beingpreparedmeanscompletingassignedreadingsorassignments,beingfocusedandreadytoengageinclass,andalsodressingappropriatelyforlab(wewilloftenbeoutside,regardlessoftheweather!).Completereadingsandassignmentsbythespecifieddateandtime.Avoiddistractions,inappropriatecellphoneuseisverydistractingforyou,yourpeers,andyourinstructorandshouldnottakeplaceduringclass.Last,youareexpectedtotreattheinstructorandeachotherfairlyandwithrespect.
Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 4
ExpectationsoutsideofclassIwillworkhardtofacilitateyourlearning,butonlyyoucanlearnthematerialthroughfocusedtimeandeffortwithinandoutsidetheclassroom.Asareminder,Pacificguidelinesstatethatstudentsshouldputin2-3hoursoutsideofclassforeverycredit.Thismeansthatyoushouldexpecttoworkforatleast8-12hoursperweekoutsideofclasstimetopassthecourse!ExpectationsofyourProfessor(me)Youcanalsoexpectmetobefairandhonestwithyou,returnmaterialsinareasonabletimeframe,andbeavailabletoyououtsideofclass.OfficehoursaredesignatedtimesthatIwillbeavailableforstudentsfromthisclassbutIrealizethatitisimpossibletoselecttimesthatwillworkwitheveryone’sbusyschedules.Ifthosetimesdonotworkforyou,pleasecontactmeandwecansetanothertimetomeet(I’mveryhappytodothis!)TechnologyPoliciesEmail: I will use your official Pacific University e-mail address to send out occasional but importantinformation.Plantocheckthisaccountregularly,ortoforwardmessagestoanaccountyouuse.Email isalso typically the best way to get in touch with me outside of class hours. When you send an email,remember to only use your pacific.edu account and that professors expect email to be conducted as aformal correspondence, not like a text message. When you send me an email, please include relevantinformationinthesubject line(e.g."Biol435EcholocationQuestion"),apropersalutation(e.g.“helloProfTempleton,”),andmakesuretosignyourownname.FollowingthisframeworkwillhelpensurethatIwillnotoverlookyouremailbyaccident. Iwilldomybest to tryandreply toyouremail ina timelymanner(usuallywithin 24hours), however I do not typically checkmy email in the evenings (after 5pm) or onweekends,somakesureyouarepatientorplanaheadifyouhavequestions.Needmoreguidanceonemailetiquette?SeetheMoodlepageforahelpfullinkonhowtosendemailtoyourprofessors.Moodle:ThereisaclassMoodlepagethatIwillalsousetopostdailylearningobjectivesandlectureslides,readings,anddetailsaboutassignments,exams,andotherimportantinformation–youshouldvisitMoodleregularly.Box/GoogleDrive:Wewillusecloudbasedfilestoragesystemsforsharinginformationandarchivingdata,especiallyrelatedtothelabcomponentofthiscourse.It isexpectedthateachstudentuploadeddataandrecordsinatimelyfashion.Iwillsendyouinvitationstoeachresourcelaterintheclass.Cellphones:Mobiledeviceshavebecomeexceedinglypowerfultoolsandonrareoccasions,Imightsuggestthatyouusetheminclasstoaugmentourlearning.However,atallothertimes,Iexpectthatyourphoneissilencedandcompletelyputaway(inabagunderyourdesk)sothatyouwillnotbetemptedtocheckit.Asstatedabove, inappropriatecellphoneusecanbeextremelydistractingand impactnot justyoubutalsoyourpeersandprofessor,sopleasehaverespectforallofusandkeepyourphoneputaway.Ifyouhaveagoodreasontouseyourcellphone–e.g.afamilyemergencyinprogress–pleaseletmeknowbeforeclassstarts.UnauthorizedRecordings.Studentsareprohibitedfrommakingaudioand/orvisualrecordingsoflecturesorpresentationswithoutpriorconsentoftheinstructororpresenter.
Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 5
CourseAssessmentIwillassessyourlearningbasedonacombinationofexams,assignments,laboratoryassignments,andindependentprojects,withtherelativepercentagesoutlinedbelow:1)Exams 30%
Therewillbetwounitexamsduringthesemesterandafinalexam.Examswillconsistofquestionsinavarietyofformats,includingmultiplechoice,shortanswer,andshortessays.Eachexamwillfocusonnewmaterialbutassumeknowledgetestedonpriorunits.
2)LaboratoryAssignments 20%Youwillpreparealabwrite-upand/orcompleteshortpre-labassignmentsformanylabactivities.Youwillreceivespecificdetailsonthecontentofeachlabwrite-upandpre-labexerciseforeachlab.
3)SeminarPresentations 10%Studentswillworkinpairsorindependentlytolead1-2seminar-stylediscussionsofresearcharticlesfromtheprimaryliterature.Eachteamwillchoosearecentpaper,conductappropriatebackgroundresearchinthattopic(i.e.readotherrelatedpapers),giveashortpresentationonthepaper,andfacilitateclassdiscussion.Moredetailsandsign-upsheetswillbeforthcoming.
4)VideoProduction 15%
Studentswillworkinsmallgroupstoproduceashort(3-5min)videodocumentingsomeaspectofanimalcommunication.Thegoalistoprovidebiologicallyaccuratevideosthatshowcasegeneralconceptsorexcitingnewdiscoveriesinanimalcommunicationinanentertainingway.ThosegroupsproducingworkofahighstandardwillhavetheopportunitytohavetheirvideosincludedinanationalrepositoryandusedaspartofaformalscientificoutreachprograminprimaryschoolsacrosstheUS.Moredetailsandtechnicalguidancewillbeforthcoming.
5)ClassResearchProject 20%Towardstheendofthecourse,wewillapplywhatwehavelearnedtodesignanexperimentthataddstothecurrentstateofknowledgeaboutanimalcommunication.Asaclass,wewillidentifyaninterestingresearchquestion,designanexperimentorsetofobservationstoaddressthisquestion,collectdata,analyzetheresults,andinterpretthemintegratinginformationfromthecourseandtheprimaryliterature.
5)Classparticipationandengagement 5%Lecturesandlabsaredesignedforstudentstoengagewiththematerialandtakeanactiveroleintheclassroom.Thesuccessoftheclassdependsonstudentsbeingactiveparticipantsandyourparticipationandattitudeduringtheclassimpactyourgrade.
Yourfinallettergradewillassignedasfollows:
A:>90%B:80%-89%C:70%-79%D:60%-69%F:<59%
Plusandminusgradeswillbeassignedasfollows:percentagesendingwith7-9willbegivenaplus(e.g.,87–89%=B+);percentagesendingwith0-2willbegivenaminus(e.g.,80–82%=B-).Thereisnoextracredit.Gradesarenotcurved,meaningthateverystudentcanachieveanA;youarenotcompetingwithotherstudentsinthecourse,soworktogetherinanhonestandethicalfashion.
Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 6
AcademicIntegrityIexpectstudentstoknowandadheretotheuniversity’s“CodeofAcademicConduct”policies;pleasecarefullyreadthemintheCollegeofArtsandSciencescatalog.Thebottomline:youmustdoyourownworkonallexamsandclassassignmentsincludinglabreportsandpre-labassignments.Academichonestydoesnotprecludediscussingideaswithotherstudents,workingtogetheronhomework,studyingtogetherforexams,orprovidingfeedbackonlabwrite-upsaslongasalltextisinyourownwords.Inaddition,everyoneisexpectedtocontributeequallytogroupwork(seminars,labreports,researchprojects)PacificUniversityhasnotoleranceforacademicmisconduct/cheating.ItisuniversitypolicythatallactsofmisconductanddishonestybereportedtotheAssociateDeanforStudentAcademicAffairs.Sanctionsthatmaybeimposedforsuchmisconductrangefroman“F”fortheassignment,an“F”forthecourse,andsuspensionordismissalfromtheuniversity.Formsofacademicmisconductincludebutarenotlimitedtoplagiarism,fabrication,cheating,tamperingwithgrades,forgingsignatures,andusingelectronicinformationresourcesinviolationofacceptableusepolicies.Pleasetalktomebeforeyouturninassignmentsifyouhaveaquestionaboutwhatconstitutesdishonesty.Asareminder,herearesomeexamplesofacademicdishonestyandplagiarism:
• Copyingtheworkofanotherstudentonanexamorawrittenassignment,includinglabs• Havingnotesorcribsheetsaccessibleduringexamsorquizzes,evenifyoudon’tusethem• Cuttingandpastingphrasesorsentencesfromtextbooks,articles,orwebsites• Re-usinganassignmentfromanotherclass• Insufficientattributionforideasandinformationfrompublishedresources
CollegeResourcesTherearemanyfreeservicesavailableatPacifictohelpyousucceedinyourcourses.Iencourageyoutotakeadvantageofthem!Someoftheseservicesarelistedbelow.TutoringServices.CLASS(CenterforLearningandStudentSuccess)islocatedonthe2nd-flooroftheTranLibrary.Thecenterfocusesondeliveringone-on-oneandgrouptutoringservicesforforeignlanguages,mathandsciencecourses,andwritingskillsinallsubjects.Studentsshouldconsultwiththecenter’sdirectorandlookforcampusadvertisementsregardingtutoringavailableforothersubjects.Dayandeveninghours.OfficeofAccessibilityandAccommodationServices(OAA).SupportservicesandreasonableaccommodationsareavailabletostudentscoveredundertheAmericanswithDisabilitiesAct.Ifyouhaveadocumenteddisabilityandrequireaccommodationsinthiscourse,youmustcontacttheOfficeofAccessibilityandAccommodationServices(OAA)at503-352-2171([email protected]).Staffmemberswillmeetwithyou,reviewthedocumentationofyourdisability,anddiscusstheservicesPacificprovidesandanyspecificaccommodationsyourequireforcertaincourses.Itisextremelyimportantthatyoubeginthisprocessatthebeginningofthesemesterorearlier.StudentCounselingCenter.Thecounselingcenteroffersindividualcounseling,crisisservices,referrals,andworkshops.Theyalsohaveinformationon-lineorintheirofficeaboutissuessuchasstressmanagementandsleep.503-352-2191,Mon-Fri9a.m.–5p.m.,http://www.pacificu.edu/studentlife/counselingcenter/
Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 7
ClassSchedule(subjecttochange)MoredetailedweeklyschedulesandlearningobjectiveswillbeprovidedinclassoronMoodle.
UnitI:SignalModalities.Howisinformationtransferredbetweenanimals?
Week Dates Lecturetopics LabactivitiesWeek1 26-30Aug AcousticSignals FieldTriptoJacksonBottom:
WildlifeSoundRecordingWeek2 2-6Sept AcousticSignals Lab:AudioAnalysisTutorial
Week3 9-13Sept VisualSignals EVENINGFieldTriptoFernhill:
BatEcholocationWeek4 16-20Sept OlfactorySignals FieldTriptoFernhill:
BirdSongRecordingWeek5 23-27Sept TactileandElectricalSignals Lab:SongRepertoireAnalysis
EXAMI:Friday27September
UnitII:SignalEvolutionandFunctions.Whatinformationdosignalscontainandwhousesthisinformation?
Week6 30Sept-4Oct EvolutionofSignals Lab/Campus:AnthropogenicNoise
Week7 9-13Oct InformationinSignals Lab:Spectrometry/OpticalIllusions
Week8 14-18Oct SignalHonestyandDeception Library:VideoCreationWorkshop
Week9 21-25Oct CourtshipandMateAttraction Lab:ResearchProjectDesign
Week10 28Oct-1Nov ConflictandSocialSignals ResearchProjects
Week11 4-8Nov FoodandPredatorSignals ResearchProjects
Week12 11-15Nov LanguageandVocalLearning FieldTriptoOregonNationalPrimateCenter:Primates
EXAMII:Monday18November
UnitIII:Coursesynthesis.Videopresentations,primaryliteraturediscussions,andcoursewrapup.
Week13 18-22Nov FilmFestival&Discussion Lab:HumanPheromones
Week14 25-29Nov Video&ThanksgivingBreak
Week15 2Dec CourseSynthesis
FINALEXAM:Tuesday6December,8:30-11am
Bio 435 Fall 2019 Syllabus, p. 8
OtherImportantDatesforyourCalendar• Monday,September9:Lastdaytodropaclasswithnorecord.• Friday,November1:Lastdaytowithdrawfromcourses.• Monday,September2:LaborDay!Noclass• Friday,October4:Fallbreak!Noclass• Friday,November8:MurdockResearchConference!Noclass• Wednesday-Friday,November27-29:Thanksgiving!Noclass
